The last thing I want to read right now is a bunch of interviews with Fiona Apple. Surely, she'll do some press. Talking about your first record in seven years is something people expect when you don't make a record for seven years. Her reemergence at this year's South by Southwest suggests the past seven years haven't made her any less awkward. So whatever press she does will be awkward. And because of that awkwardness, she'll explain too much. She's already talked to Pitchfork. I haven't read it, nor will I read the rest. The Idler Wheel... is a throwback — the type of record that benefits from mystery. It's a confessional record, a breakup record every bit as biting as Adele's 21. Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's more insular; maybe the demons she's fighting aren't men, but herself. Or maybe she's projected herself onto the men in these songs? Either way, every word seems so perfectly chosen and so carefully articulated that the lyric book should be the beginning and end of what we know about Fiona Apple's headspace. And the song I want deconstructed least is "Werewolf." The record's centerpiece, thematically and emotionally, also features the set's best line, "We can still support each other/All we gotta do is avoid each other." It's followed by this: "Nothing wrong when a song ends in a minor key." Gorgeous — and, unlike most of the record, largely instrumentally unadorned — "Werewolf" isn't nearly as obvious as "Jonathan" (a tune ostensibly about ex-boyfriend Jonathon Ames), nor is it overly cryptic. Then again, the noisy found-sound of children playing toward the end definitely tips towards cryptic. To me, the children aside, it's about the relationship we've all had — the one that starts hot, cools off, and leaves one party more disappointed than the other. And if I'm wrong, I don't want to know.

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2 of 11

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, "I've Been Accused," Old Believers

Recorded in a Nashville studio called Welcome to 1979, this sweaty slow jam sounds just like, um, 1979. That's a good thing. Really good.

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3 of 11

Walk the Moon, "Anna Sun," Walk the Moon

Because we were exactly a year ahead of ourselves when we named "Anna Sun" the best song of summer 2011 and wrote, "Keytar is the new cowbell. And because, keytar or not, this might just be the catchiest, most synthed-out, and perfectly constructed pop track around right now." We stand by that assessment, even if we know their "new" single isn't exactly "new."

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4 of 11

Neneh Cherry & the Thing, "Dirt," The Cherry Thing

Because Neneh Cherry and a free-jazz trio rocking out some classic Stooges winds up sounding exactly like something they might play on the PA right before a Tom Waits or Nick Cave show. You'd ask, "What is that?" You'd be pleasantly surprised. And a little disturbed.

Because nobody does weepy quite like Glen Hansard, and when he sings "And I'm always gonna love you/And I'm always gonna stay," you can almost hear the idling engine of the car that's about to repeatedly drive 'n' reverse all over his heart.

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6 of 11

The Eastern Sea, "A Lie," Plague

Because these Texans craft pop songs that are singularly jittery and glistening. And because, while anybody can bang out celebratory handclaps, handclaps that sound anxious are far more rewarding. These are very anxious handclaps.

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7 of 11

The Henry Clay People, "25 for the Rest of Our Lives," 25 for the Rest of Our Lives

Because if HBO launched a men's version of Girls, this vigorously hedonistic anthem would be the soundtrack.

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8 of 11

The Soundtracks of Our Lives, "Throw It to the Universe," Throw It to the Universe

Because, after six albums, these legendarily psychedelic Swedes are taking a final curtain call. And it's quite a bow — with all the compulsory swirls, howls, and rattling high-hats we've come to expect. Bonus points for the line "We say hello to say goodbye. We are the Soundtrack of Our Lives."

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9 of 11

Guided by Voices, "Keep It in Motion," Class Clown Spots a UFO

Because while there's a lot to love about the economy of a twenty-one-track album that clocks in at just under forty minutes, this particular drum-machine-assisted slab of simple, paint-by-numbers Guided by Voices pop stands out as not just economical, but also deceptively smart.

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10 of 11

Josh Turner, "Time Is Love," Punching Bag

Because, right now, pound for pound, this might be the most emotionally (and metaphorically) compelling songs floating around the upper echelons of the country charts. It also proves that the album's opening clip from a wrestling announcer calling Turner the "Tornado of Testosterone" and the "Bone Shakin' Baritone" isn't hyperbole.

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11 of 11

Elle King, "Playing for Keeps," The Elle King EP

Because, as with the younger Patti Smith, every word that leaves her mouth is coated with contempt. It's a gift, really, the kind that destroys relationships and leaves a string of hand-punched holes in shady motel rooms. And when she belts "I bet you're sorry now," you'll want to apologize for things you might not have even done.